The Unheard Whispers of Yin and Yang
by RuthlessXenomorph
Summary: With nothing left to fear in the Valley of Peace, Po struggles to understand his feelings. Meanwhile...it happened. Another slaughterhouse to clean up. TiPo (rating may change)


Life is normal, as it should be. Tai Lung has long since been history, Lord Shen is dead, and even Kai, a spirit warrior whose only real talent is sending green statues to do his chores, is gone forever. The Dragon Warrior strongly protects the Valley of Peace to this day, and no other power has grown to challenge him. With his personal vendetta on his true identity melting down to a comforting close, there is no obstacle left to face.

Or at least there _shouldn't_ be.

Despite all of this peace and tranquility, there is much disturbance quaking the still waters in Po's heart. This feeling of angst has always been there, ever since he was fatefully plummeted to the concrete floor on a ball of fire and lay before Master Oogway's feet. With every passing day the feeling has flourished, blossoming to the tips of his paws. It's overwhelming hold on him now controls his actions with nervous spurts of embarrassment—especially in front of Master Tigress.

Actually, _only_ in front of Master Tigress.

In the Jade Palace, the Furious Five slumber soundly as the crickets sing their looping melody. The Dragon Warrior sits at the base of the peach tree, that of which he once conversed with Master Oogway. Piercing the flesh of the fruit with his flat teeth, the giant white moon mirrors in his large, round eyes. He says nothing but mere crunches here and there, yet his mind chatters away to the only one who can listen.

"Midnight snack?"

Master Shifu appears out of nowhere, standing with a smug grin, light taps hitting the stone of the Earth as he makes his way over. As the mountain of peaches piled between Po's legs comes into view, the red panda rolls his eyes.

Po swallows his gulp, "Master Shifu, I uhh, didn't know you were awake."

"Well the creaking of the wooden panels of the floor was a relaxing wake-up call." He looks from the black and white ball to the moon, "What're you doing out here, Po?"

"Nothing, just, you know, I woke up and I thought _'ya know, I could really go for some peaches right now.'_ "

Shifu waits for a better answer.

"Plus, this way, I can get some early training in…and, bust some moves."

Shifu sighs, "Well I can see you're eager to get right to that. I guess I'll leave you alone." He turns to walk away, and just as he reaches the edge of the pathway he says, "There have been complaints of bandits robbing the villagers of East Veld Vale. You'll be going there tomorrow morning."

"You mean the village haunted by the souls of Master Rhino's Battalion? I mean, not that I'm afraid or nothing, it's just, that's a long walk from here."

"It'll take you three days."

"Three da—! How am I supposed to get there? It's not like I have a map. Who would want to live in the remains of the bloodiest war anyway? Yeesh."

"Well if you're so scared of losing your way, I'll send Tigress to go with you."

"Tigress…?"

"Will that be a problem?"

"Well, it's just that, what if we get attacked? Don't you want us to be here when that happens?"

"If by some miracle that happens for the fourth time—which it couldn't—the other four are here, and I'm not exactly brittle. Since you're up already, for no apparent reason, you can start packing now."

"Uhh, yeah! Sure, pfft, waay ahead of you."

"Good," Shifu leaves with a smile.

Po sighs with the slouch of his shoulders, picking up another peach only to swallow it whole. He stays there until the moon sets below the horizon and the sun rises, just barely. His pile of peaches has run dry, and that's the sign it's time to get up.

The air is frigid with a light blue tint painting the landscape.

He manages to sneak into his room without waking anyone, and avoiding that hole in the floor from years ago that no one has fixed yet. Stuffing one pair of look-alike pants and a year's supply of food in his pack, he releases another sigh. That antsy feeling tickles the back of his throat, making him cough slightly and take a deep breath to cease it, even if by only a particle.

Whirling the bag over his shoulder and hooking onto the twin strap with his other paw, he makes way for the entrance gate, but stops shortly after leaving his room, staring at the paper door slid closed.

Tigress's door.

His heart thumps loudly in his ears while his face burns with crippling anxiety. Tearing away his gaze, he stares at the wood panels, the concrete, the cracked stone. Waiting on the steps of the entrance gate, he watches the plump white clouds mosey on by at their own pace, some noticeably faster than others.

"Po," That oh-so familiar tone makes him perk up. The mighty feline stands at the ready, her luggage ten times smaller and lighter. "Ready?"

"Born ready."

The voyage down the stairs is leisurely, very unlike them, but there is no real need for haste. The villagers can keep being robbed until the warriors get there, it's what they deserve for choosing to live in a "haunted" post-warzone.

Swallowing down his emotions, "Tigress," Po squeaks out, then clears his throat slightly. She looks in his direction, face empty of any expression other than curiosity. His eyes follow the receding steps. "There's, uhh…I mean, I kinda want to tell you something."

"Oh?"

"Yeah. It's been in my mind, erm, on, _on_ my mind lately. I didn't know what it meant…well, actually I still don't know what it means, but I thought if maybe I told you than we can figure it out together." He meets her gaze, butterflies fluttering vigorously in his stomach.

"Ahh, alright. What is it?"

"I've—"

"Hold up!" A crowd frantically rushes to the two from the palace gates. As they get closer, their silhouettes turn into the rest of the Furious Five.

Po holds in his disappointment, "Viper, Crane, Monkey, Mantis…"

"What're you guys doing here?"

"Master Shifu told us to get packed and follow you two," Viper whips her tongue.

Crane scratches his chest, "Yeah, so what is it we're _doing_ , exactly?"

As their journey continues, Tigress explains to the other four of the plans, completely—but unintentionally—disregarding what it was Po was trying to say. They all agreed it was odd for all of the great warriors to leave the Valley of Peace for such a tremendous voyage when surely there were enforcement operatives in the area.

Finally, they reach the village at the bottom of the steps, a straight shot to the exit from here. Just as they start approaching the Noodle Shop, Po grabs Tigress's arm and leads her down an alternate path. "What're you doing?"

"I thought this way would be easier. You know, there are a lot of rocks on that road, and since you're barefoot and all…"

"Don't be ridiculous." She begins to walk but he gently nudges her back.

"I'm not, it's just," He sighs, "If we go that way my dad will come out and embarrass me like he always does."

"Po, Mr. Ping doesn't work there anymore, remember? He's at the Panda village with Li Shan."

"Oh…right, I knew that, just testing you."

"Right."

They continue past the noodle shop, the other four chatting away at themselves until _Quack!_ Ping scurries out of the noodle shop to face Po. "Where are you going?"

"Dad?"

A big body walks out of the noodle shop and meets up with them, a black and white ball.

" _Dad?"_

"We just get here and now you're leaving," Ping scowls in disapproval.

"What do you think?" Li gestures at the new shop, refurbished to suite the panda's needs. "We both decided to move here so we could be closer to you."

"So, you're _both_ going to be selling noodles now?"

"Yep," He grabs the waist of his pants and hoists them up.

"Come on, Po," Monkey urges, "Those bandits won't wait."

"Bandits?" Li and Ping say in unison.

"Uhh, sorry Dads, I'll see you later."

The two men try to protest, but Po and the others continue onward, past the village, away from civilization and into the vast wilderness barren of inhabitants. They follow the dirt path leading to the East, naturally. Conversation between the few dies down, and to break this, Mantis coughs, "So, Po, will we be getting any of your delicious noodle soup while we're out here?"

"What, do you think I just haul around an entire kitchen with me?"

There's a silence before they all answer "yes."

"Oh, well then yeah, I'll make some tonight."

The group cheers with anticipation, however it's short lived. Making it over the monumental hill far from the Valley of Peace, the warriors seem to have stumbled upon the result of an intense battleground. Red, spattered and sprayed, pooling in what used to be lean threads of greenery. The remains, parts, entrails, all spilled in random locations, impossible to find the counterparts. Homes burnt to shambles or thoroughly demolished from the inside out.

The warriors almost die of shock.

"What happened here," Viper sorrowfully asks.

"All those people…" Tigress grits her teeth, "How could we have not known of this? To not even hear it…"

In the distance, there's a faint panting. Po drops his pack and rushes over to the live victim. As he draws closer, the bunny is drenched in blood, trying to speak but lacking the strength. Po lifts the frail animal's head, only now noticing its amputated limbs, both legs and one arm. They were not cut, but brutally torn off. It's a miracle the tiny creature has retained consciousness, or even life.

With the pants growing strained and raspy, it's clear the bunny is choking on its own blood.

The Five watch from afar, scavenging for other survivors, but so far they've found none.

The bunny weakly moves his remaining hand, gesturing Po to lean in closer. The panda does so, swiftly. "Th…th—" It coughs out blood, strings of the red fluid remaining attached to its chin, lining down to its chest. Small streams leak from the corner of its mouth and nostrils. Its eyes, begging for Po to understand, finally cease their worried stare and relax, permitting death to glaze a foggy mist where there used to be so much life.

Po holds the tiny body in his arms, mouth agape in pure disbelief.

The Five couldn't find any other survivors. Every member of this village has either found refuge somewhere, or is dead.


End file.
